KARE11's Tim McNiff ready to move on

After more than two decades at KARE-TV, Tim McNiff is saying goodbye to Channel 11 on Friday. The morning-show anchor announced earlier this summer he was leaving to become executive director of media relations for the Minnetonka-based communications firm Media Minefield.

"I look at this as I grew up wanting to be on TV here in the Twin Cities and I accomplished that and I lived that dream," he said. "Now I'm going to be able to go into the business world, and I'm going to help people accomplish their dreams."

He added: "I just want people to understand, nobody's running me out the door (at KARE); nobody was kicking me out," he said. "I made a conscious decision to move on and try something else. I'm really looking forward to it.

McNiff grew up in White Bear Lake and graduated from White Bear Mariner High School before starting at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and later transferring to the University of Minnesota. His first job with KARE was in 1986 as a sports intern. He joined the station's staff as a sports producer in 1993 and went on to work as a sports reporter and sports anchor. In 2004, he moved to mornings as an anchor on "KARE 11 Sunrise."

He says what he's going to miss most about TV news is something he takes a lot of pride in: "just doing the job."

"I really would think about the people who were out there starting their day, and I wanted them to start their day on the right foot in the sense that you wanted to give them something to laugh about or talk about," said McNiff, 51, who lives in Plymouth with his wife, Amy.

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The couple has two daughters, Haley, 17, and Bridget, 20.

Over his years in TV news, McNiff said he's learned that people are "really kind and very forgiving" -- especially if you're honest about making mistakes. And while he'll miss his colleagues and keeping viewers informed, he's looking forward to not getting up at 2 a.m.

"I'm not going to miss that," he said with a smile. "That's never easy."

KARE-TV morning anchor Tim McNiff, right, shares a laugh with chief editor Ray Wells III at the station in Golden Valley, Minn., on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2104. After more than two decades with KARE, McNiff's last day is Friday, Aug. 15, 2014. He's leaving for a job with the Minnetonka-based communications firm Media Minefield. (Pioneer Press: Amy Carlson Gustafson)